Agglomerated finely-divided material and process of producing the same



Patented Sept. 9, 19,24.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE NAG-EL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

' ll'o Drawing.

-Toallwhomitmayconaem:

Be it known that I, THEODORE NAGEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Agglomerated Finely-Divided Materials and Processes of Producing the Same; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same.

This invention relates to briquettes and the process of producing the same, and has for its object to improve the. procedures as well as the products heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel steps and combinations of steps constituting the procm ess, and in the novel article of manufacture constituting the briquetted product, all as will be more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

This application constitutes a continuation in part of my copending application, Serial No. 610,369, filed January 2, 1923, and entitled artificial fuel and method of making the same.

In order that the invention may be the 80 more clearly understood, it is said: It is well known that'a large number of difierent substances have been heretofore brought to a finely divided condition, mixed with a binding material, and then subjected to pressure and heat in order to form briquettes therefrom.

In the case of coal, these bri uettes have gone into a rather extended use, but it is also well known that their use involves a 40 number of disadvantages. Among the objections that exist may be mentioned the factthat many of them give off smoke and odors when burned, while others are watersoluble. This causes such briquettes to become soft and to disintegrate under weather conditions usually encountered. Other briquettes are too expensive to manufacture.

Also, it is recognized that some of the most promising of the prior products soften and flow together when burning, thus forming a plastic mass that cuts 01f the draft and prevents gOodcombustion.

of phosp phoric acid constitutin the influence of heat, Will be found to have Application filed April 21, 1928. Serial No. 683,805.

It is also recognized that in burning many of the prlor briquettes the binding material is often consumed'faster-than the finely divided coal, thus freeing'the latter from the briquettes, and permitting said finely divid ed particles to drop unburned through the grate with the ashes, or to fill the passages through the burning mass and choke off the draft.

It is the object of this invention, when more 'spec1fically stated, to obviate these obect1ons by providing a procedure capable of producing a coal briquette, for example,

that will not give off smoke or odors when burned, one that is not water-soluble in the ordinary sense or to an objectionable extent, one that is hard and dense and less liable to break in handling than the prior products, and one that can be manufactured within the permissible limits of cost.

In carrying out this invention, when coal briquettes are to be made, one may proceed as follows: The coal, if anthracite for example, may be finely subdivided as usual, or to sizes between, say, of an inch and a 200 mesh size. This finely divided material can be dried or not as desired. Then take by weight 100 parts of this finely divided coal and thoroughly mix therewith in any suitable manner, say, about 7 parts of black molasses, the well known by-product e sugar industry, and about 1 parts oric acid H,PO,. It is best to mix the black strap molasses and phosphoric acid together to form the binder beme applyin to the coal. The mass thus produced an consisting of the finely divided coal and binder, is or may be next subiected to the pressure usually em loyed in the making of briquettes, and t ereafter heated to a temperature which ordinarily should not exceed about 800 F., and then cooled. The resulting briqJuettes are found to possess a water-insolu 1e, dense, hard, strong structure that burns without'emitting smoke or odors. nor do said briquettes soften or fiowwhile burning. That IS, the mixture of black strap molasses and phosthe binder under been converted into a hard, strong, tenacious, and water-insoluble material that does not run or fuse at the temperature of burning, and therefore serves to hold the coal particles firmly together during storage, shipment, and use.

The above applies especially to anthracite coal, and coke. When bituminous coal or lignite is employed, they first have to be heated to a temperature of at least 800 F., to drive off a substantial portion of the volatile matter, previous to comminuting and briquetting the coal.

' I, am unable to give a satisfactory scien possesses the following qualities, all of which tific explanation of the exact chemical changes that take place in the binder under the influence of heat,but it is possible thatthe orthophosphoric acid, H PO, is first converted to the pyro form, I-LP O and finall to the meta form HPO,, in accordance wit the well known behaviors of these compounds when heated. It is further possible that one or more of these acids react with the constituents. of the black strap molasses or with those of the coal, or with both, to form hard, tenacious, water-insoluble compounds therewith. Whatever may be the true explanation, actual tests have abundantly shown that the finished product possesses the surprising and valuable properties above mentioned, andv further that this finished water resisting heated binder that is infusible at the temperature of burning soot, etc. In fact, I have found that this unheated mixture of black strap molasses and phosphoric acid possemes the valuable property of being water-soluble and therefore capable of being easily applied to and binding masses of finely divided materials in general, and that when heated such a change takes place therein that it becomes so hard, strong, and tenacious that it converts a wide range of such materials mto hard, strong, tenacious and weather resisting briquettes.

In fact, this said mixture of black strap molasses and-phosphoric acid may be used also as a glue or cement, which upon heating will become hard, strong, tenacious, and weather resisting.

The invention is not limited to the proportions abovel given, nor to the temperatures stated. In fact, I have found that instead of using by weight 7 of black strap molasses I may use on various coals quantities varying saybetween 3% and 15%; and instead of using 1%% H PO,, I may use,.qfiantities varying between, say, of 1% and 5%. When briquetting other materials such as flue dust, finely divided ores in general, etc., that it may be desired to conglomerate, I use varying quantities of the It will now be clear from the foregoing that I have disclosed a procedure which provides agglomerated lumps, or bodies in general, and especially a fuel product that difl'ers from other rior products in that it qualities no single prior fuel product possesses to my knowledge. That is, this prodnot is hard, tough, and sufliciently water insoluble to resist softening due to all in fluences of weather; it burns freely and gree when subjected to rain storms or other atmospheric conditions. The raw material used in making the binder can be produced in unlimited quantities so that the. supply and the cost of the binder will not be materially disturbed by this new industrial application. Further, it is not necessary to use commercially pure phosphoric acid. I have found that a very crude and comparatively inexpensive phosphoric acid which is produced by merely treating phosphate rock with sulphuric acid without refining can be employed in my process. I further find I may use any saccharine material such as beet sugar residue, for example, in mak ing the binder.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of my procedure as well as of my product without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to the foregoing disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The process of agglomerating a finely divided material which consists in mixing said material with an organic binder containing phosphorus in inorganic combination, and capable of hardening upon heating; and heating said mixture to a temperature suflicient to harden said binder.

2. The process of agglomerating a finely divided material which consists in mixing said material with a binding organic matecombination, which upon heating is capable of forming a hard water-insoluble binder; compressing the mixture thus produced; and heating said mixture to a temperature sufiicient to harden said binder.

rial containing phosphorus, in inorganic 3. The process of aglglomerating a finely divided material whic consists in mixing said material with a binder containing a carbohydrate and combined phosphorus, said binder capable of hardenin under the action of heat; compressing t e mixture thus produced; and heating said mixture to a temperature above 500 F. to harden said binder.

4. The process of 'agglomerating a finely divided material which consists in mixing said material with an organic water soluble binder containing a saccharine substance and combined phosphorus, and capable of hardening upon heating; and'heating said mixture to a temperature suflicient to harden said binder.

5. The process of a glomerating a finely divided material whic consists in mixing said material with a binding organic material containing molassesand combined hosphorus, which upon heating is capab e of orming a hard, water insoluble binder;

compressing the mixture thus produced; and heating" said mixture to a temperature sufficient to harden said binder.

6. The process of agglomerating a finely divided material which consists in mixin said material with a binder containing black strap molasses and combined phosphorus, said binder capable of hardening under the action of heat; compressing the mixture thus produced; and heating said mixture to a temperature above 400 F. to harden said binder.

7 The process of briquetting a finely divided solid material which consists in mixing a phosphoric acid with black strap molasses to form a binder; mixing said binder with said finely divided material; compressing the mass thus produced; and heating said compressed mass to a temperature sutficient to harden said binder.

8. The process of briquetting a finely divided car onaceous fuel which consists in mixing said fuel with a binder containing black strap molassesand a phosphoric acid; compressing the mixture thus produced; and heating said compressed mixture to a temperature above 400 F.

9. The herein described new article of manufacture consisting of a mass of finely divided solid fuel particles bound together by a material containing combined phosphorus and an organic carbon compound, said mass being hard, tough, water-insoluble, and capable of burning without disin-.

tegrating into anules.

10. The herein described new fuel briquette consisting of a mass of finely divided fuel particles bound together by a material containing combined phosphorus and an organic carbon compound, said mass be ing hard, tough, water insoluble, capable of burning without dlsintegrating into granules, and said briquette being of such a. nature that it does not flow or spread during combustion.

11. The process of making artificial fuel which process consists in mixing with comminuted carbonaceous material a binding syrup which, upon heatin and cooling is converted into a water-inso uble non-fusible binder, subjecting the mixture to pressure to bring the granules thereof into intimate contact and subsequently fixing the granules of the carbonaceous material in a water-insoluble structure by heating and cooling the mixture 'to convert the syrup into a water-insoluble non-fusible binder..

12. The process of making artificial fuel which process consists in mixing acidulated syrup and phosphoric acid with comminuted cabonaceous material, pressing the mixture to bring the granules thereof into intimate contact and subsequently fixing the granules of the carbonaceous material in a water-insoluble structure by heating and cooling the mixture to convert the acidulated syrup and phosphoric acid into a water-insoluble nonfusible binder.

13. The process of making artificial fuel, which process consists in mixing syrup and phosphoric acid with'comminuted carbonaceous material, pressing the mixture to bring the ranules thereof into intimate contact, an subsequently fixing the granules of the carbonaceous material in a weter-insoluble structure by heating and cooling the mixture to convert the syrup and phosphoric acid into a water-insoluble, nonfusible binder.

14. The process of makin hard waterinsoluble artificial fuel whic process consists in mixing with comminuted carbonaceous material an acidulated binding syrup,

substantially not in excess of 7 by Weight of the carbonaceous material, and a solution of phosphoric acid, substantially not in excess of 1 H PO by weight of the carbonaceous material, pressing this mixture to bring the granules of the comminuted materiaL' into intimate contact and subsequently heating to a temperature substantially not in excess of 800 F. and cooling.

15. The process of making a hard, Water-insoluble artificial fuel, which process consists in mixing with comminuted carbonaceous material a syrup substantially not in excess of 7 by weight of the carbonaceous material and phosphoric acid substantially not in excess of 1 H 1 0, by weight of the carbonaceous material, pressing this mixture to bring the granules of the comminuted material into intimate contact, and subsequently heatingto a temperature above400 F. and cooling.

In testimony whereof I 'aflix my signature.

- THEODORE NAGEL. 

